The Independent - Simon Calder RSS Feed

The Independent - Simon Calder RSS Feed http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/?service=Rss Simon Calder: Air Passenger Duty is still in a hopeless mess http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-air-passenger-duty-is-still-in-a-hopeless-mess-1039849.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-air-passenger-duty-is-still-in-a-hopeless-mess-1039849.html The runway to hell is paved with good intentions. Look, here is what the Treasury said only this week about flying: "The Government was minded that aviation duty, as a per plane duty, should apply irrespective of the passengers carried." At last: recognition that an aircraft with only half its seats occupied has almost as much impact as a full one. I have been banging on for a decade about the need for tax to reflect the damage caused by aviation, by applying Air Passenger Duty (APD) to every seat whether or not it is occupied. Airlines would be incentivised to fill their planes, and flights which regularly flew with lots of empty seats would be grounded. Simon Calder Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:00:01 +0000 Simon Calder: Cuba as risky as Darfur? Don't make me laugh http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-cuba-as-risky-as-darfur-dont-make-me-laugh-1029213.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-cuba-as-risky-as-darfur-dont-make-me-laugh-1029213.html Travel, like life in general, requires judicious risk management, ranging from "Am I a strong enough swimmer to cope with those currents?" and "Should I really have that extra drink?" to "What countries are too dangerous to contemplate?" Simon Calder Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:01 +0000 Simon Calder: Child-free flights... and why not end free alcohol, too? http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-childfree-flights-and-why-not-end-free-alcohol-too-1018861.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-childfree-flights-and-why-not-end-free-alcohol-too-1018861.html Say what you like about Radio 2: it remains consistently the best listen of the BBC's national radio networks, not least the excellent Jeremy Vine programme on weekday lunchtimes. On Thursday, his 1pm debate was on the concept of child-free flights. It soon morphed into a tirade against inconsiderate flyers who recline their seats without regard to the passenger behind, nor their meal/drink/laptop. But the central question posed by Vine – "Could child-free flights be a popular and profitable venture?" – set me thinking about whether, and how, it would work. Simon Calder Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:01 +0000 Simon Calder: What went wrong at T5? MPs ask the questions http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-what-went-wrong-at-t5-mps-ask-the-questions-1000252.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-what-went-wrong-at-t5-mps-ask-the-questions-1000252.html A national calamity, embarrassment, or disaster? Take your pick: members of the Transport Select Committee used these terms and other unflattering terms to describe the debut of Heathrow Terminal 5 in March. The £4.3bn structure is now working well. But this week, much to the continuing chagrin of the owner BAA and sole tenant, British Airways, the dismal spring days of its botched opening were revisited by MPs. Simon Calder Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:00:01 +0000